NGT orders sewage treatment plants to be set up in 6 months for Ramnadi

Indian Express

5 days ago

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), the Bhugaon Gram Panchayat, and the Bhukum Gram Panchayat to set up drainage systems and Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) to prevent waste water from being mixed into Ramnadi within the next six months.
The order passed on July 24, in a case by activist Krunnal Gharre, also states that FIRs should be filed against villagers or PMC residents dumping solid waste on the banks of the river. The order by Justice Dinesh Kumar Singh and expert member Dr Vijay Kulkarni, based on a joint committee report, states that villages under the two Gram Panchayats and 23 villages included under the PMC are releasing untreated wastewater into the Ramnadi causing harm to the river.
The order says, '…villages located on the bank of Ramnadi have not provided proper drainage network, also not provided treatment for the domestic effluent generated from the residential area…PMC has not provided drainage network for newly included 23 villages and also has not provided STPs.'
The order report also mentions that domestic waste is being mixed into two PMC storm water lines connected to Ramnadi, causing further pollution of the river. The corporation has been directed to stop the flow of the domestic waste within the next six months as well.
Bodies like PMC, Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA), and the Gram Panchayats have been tasked with ensuring compliance of no solid waste dumping on the riverbank.
Gharre told The Indian Express, 'Another important point is that PMRDA has always maintained it is a planning body and not an execution body. The order implied that it has accepted our position that PMRDA is not just a planning body and it is responsible for execution as well. This changes a lot for citizens. And for sustainable development, we had asked that wherever there is no basic infrastructure local bodies should not grant building permissions. The tribunal said that they agree with this but as it is a policy matter let the state and local bodies make this policy.'
Consequential pollution of the Pashan Lake happening due to untreated waste water being released into the Ramnadi can also be stopped if the pollution of the river water is brought under control, the order opines.
Soham is a Correspondent with the Indian Express in Pune.
A journalism graduate, he was a fact-checker before joining the Express. Soham currently covers education and is also interested in civic issues, health, human rights, and politics. ... Read More